Show I 1 le TM a ar c 0 k cok feachen BY CLARENCE 0 ROBBINS 1012 by br literary press 1 I have the critters around muttered aunt agatha as tho the beautiful f ill peacocks strutted proudly along the terrace why dont you like them mAunty the aucey asked as ked dess bess long as she tossed a hiscuit biscuit to one of the birds mrs long shook tier her head mournfully it means bad luck to have em cm around she said 11 1 I dont believe it declared HOBS bess st fojtl 1 I think I 1 am lucky to own them I 1 always admired lI hesters esters pea COCKS and when she went to n and gave these to me you know how bow delighted I 1 am my aly aunt emelene had a peacock feather fan that I 1 believe caused her eath beath declared aunt agatha dismal ly adut but aunt emelene was nearly ninety when she died I 1 thought she died from tho the effects of a fall she was carrying the fan when she ehe fell she always carried it although tho the whole aholo family warned her against ill luck she dropped the fan and stooped to pick it up she turned dizzy and fell down the he front stairs but she might have been picking uil nf her handkerchief in the same manlier protested iless dess she was picking up tip alio peacock feather fan returned aunt agatha obstinately and so BO we burned the I 1 tan fati in the kitchen stove it was a pity murmured nat batching ching the sunlight play on the gorgeous feathers fea theia of the outspread tails of her pets aunt agatha arose and shook out ber cashmere altres 1 I must be getting back to the farm she said primly 1 I cant abide the screech ot of th those ose birds taint flue feathers make fine birds nor rever never hilll dess bess said nothing for she wits was quite accustomed to her aunts openly expressed dislike for the pea fowls but herself a great lover of beauty in any shir sue almos loved the splendid coloring of the feathers of the peacocks that strutted on the terrace she watched the old fashioned figare of her country bred aunt enter the automobile which uncle fred insisted was a necessity on the farm and waved them a gay goodbye good bye before ore she returned to tier her slow pacing of the terrace godmere ats a beautiful estate for mr air long was very rich and this country place was vas his pride the peacocks were the finishing touch to the formal garden with its clipped hedges trimmed trees and stiff beds of glowing flowers I 1 aunt agatha has declared against pr peacocks she eho said to her father at dinner that night agatha nourishes hea a foolish vein of superstition observed mr air long by the th e way have you seen our new delih neighbors you mean the allyns allans Al lyns yes no isora dora said bald they were occupy arg the house but of course we can not oven even got a glimpse of it except from rom the west terrace and I 1 walked there I 1 the next afternoon when the sun slanted warmly on the terr terrace ace it the long house the P peacocks took too i sudden fancy to sun eun themselves there deco bees drowsing in a I 1 an upper balcony saw BOW the beautiful creatures leave the terrace and drag their sweeping plumage grass to the brick wall that separated the two estates it had been mr air longs great grief that bo be could not purchase the adjoining property slid and thus enlarge his bis own ground son that side but the ailynn allyns had bad had bad a long lease of the property and had bad never occupied it until this season from the upper windows window iI of the long lang house one could see quite over tho the higl albl brick w wall all into the q quiet let garden of tho other house v 1 I 1 do hope that the peacocks will not bring bad luck to old mr allyn thought dess bess as she ebe dropped into a light slumber the harsh scream ot of one of the tha birds brought her to her feet wado awake and trembling how dreadful at it fitted into my dream so BO vividly I 1 must go down and bring them back bach bess yawned dawned and shook a dimpled fist at the peacocks now sitting on the brick wall and screeching outrageously at that moment she saw a lean hand reach up from the other side bide of the wall and neatly catch one of the birds b ab its ugly feet and drag it down out al of sight flight an instant later the other frightened bird also mado made its ito 4 cech ing exit only to be promptly rauf fled in some manner then followed intense silence miss long stared incredulously from tho the window bior several beveral and seeing nothing except the tangle oz ox tho old garden beyond the wall wali and herbring hea her fring not a sound bound of her vanished birds or of their captor she marched ir grimly downstairs and obtaining a big rusty key from the jar gardener sh she 0 made hor way through the little pine grove to a small door set in the brick wall the lock loch was rusted and the key was hosa bass struggles gloo brave ly until the key turned creakingly and she could pull open the closed door it admitted her to a long vine cov ered arbor whore where lu in the green gloom a young man swung in a hammock reading a magazine and smoking industriously ift dellol Hel lol he ha exclaimed at the sudden apparition of a whito white gowned 6 maiden in his retreat and then having slipped sipped to hla his feet he stared blankly at the ho extremely scornful though cha charming countenance presented to his er ls la anything the matter he be stammered nothing much retorted bess warmly j but I 1 would be greatly obliged if you will return the peacocks to my garden return tho the what to your garden he asked in ludicrous dismay my peacocks but I 1 seen your birds bird birdsa sI I 1 steal em anyway I 1 detest the erfa creatures tUres he returned frankly they are very beaud beautiful ful said bess stiffly and then in a few words she described the scene she had witnessed while the young man rumpled his hair and looked very ary much as it if ho be believed she eho had been dreaming all at once his face cleared by jove I 1 believe it was yang he shouted and dashed out of sight he Is crazy said bess darkly 1 I never was mixed up in such mysterious happenings in my life I 1 wonder it if it can be the ill luck that follows peacock feathers she lingered uneasily near the door of tho the garden wall in the distance she heard shrill protesting shrieks and the thunder of a deep masculine voice lifted in stern reproof then there followed a scuffling sound on the graveled path and presently her now acquaintance appeared dragging the reluctant form of a chinese cook in the Chin amans grasp were the limp and lifeless forms of her precious peacocks ohl oh cried hess dess sharply and bit her lip to keep back the tears 1 I cant tell you ou how sorry I 1 am said z aya humbly yang swears by all his gods that lie he believed the birds were common barnyard fowls and lie he was about to prepare them for my dinner As a matter of fact I 1 think he had a a covetous eye upon the plumage what can I 1 do to rectify this matter itis it la too late now murmured bess besa they ought not to have been trespassing tres passing of course it was horrid of your roan man to kill them they are so and looked sc splendid trailing back and forth on the terrace if you would permit me to replace I 1 them he was bie beginning ginning but bess shook her head bead decidedly 1 I would rather not please aunt agatha said they aey would bring bad lucli luck and I 1 believe there I 1 Is g something in it after all you see lost their own lives to begin with and yang has lost his bis job said allyn darkly at al walled yang mournfully A little smile dimpled the corner of the girle mouth lets change things about she said suddenly it if peacocks have always carried ill luck leckwe wo will havo have things different to begin with yang shall keep hla his job and that means good luck to him seef now real sporting of you miss long said allyn heartily and when bess blushed beautifully he be added 1 I wonder what luck they will havo have for me I 1 was going to sail for europe wednesday but ive changed my mind im going to star atay right h here ere that sounds like bad luck remarked bess it seems like mighty good luck tn ile e declared allyn beas pretended not to understand but her heart beat faster as aa he hold bold open the door doom in tho the wall and she passed through to the other side that was vat only the beginning and when october came with her golden measure of days bess ung long became the bride of jack allyn hla his gift to her was a splendidly jeweled fan ol of peacock feathers at sight eight of which aunt agatha throw up mitten mIt tend d handi hand tn in horror borror but peacock feathers bring suell bud bad luck she che groaned not for us explained jack meeting his brudos trusting eyes wa W have changed all that peacock feath ers era means nothing but abut happiness happl nesa and good fortune bior or us ua |